CET offers asthma awareness workshop for coaches, physical educators

Posted
by Kellie May on

July 18, 2013

Cincinnati, OH – We’ve all been there… You’re running around with your friends, playing a team sport, or participating in gym class and suddenly you’re winded. Your throat burns and your chest clenches, but for most of us, it passes after a few moments. For children with asthma, that feeling is much more dangerous and can be deadly.

That’s why CET, in partnership with the American Lung Association in Ohio, Cincinnati Public Schools and The Health Foundation of Greater Cincinnati will be presenting a “Student and Athlete Care” workshop from 9am to noon Saturday, July 27, aimed at helping coaches and physical education teachers to understand asthma, ways to prevent an asthma attack, and what to do if a child does have an asthma attack.

“Although each year, thousands of athletes with asthma successfully participate in a variety of sports, on average at least one player on a team of 15 will have asthma. According to a recent study, only one in three children’s athletic coach’s reports being adequately trained to deal with asthma symptoms in kids. Just one in two coaches knew more than one asthma symptom,” said American Lung Association of the Midland States Senior Director of Programs Emily Lee. “Asthma awareness is a real issue, we need to be proactive in providing our coaches with the best resources to help our kids stay healthy and active”.

In the Cincinnati Public Schools, close to 20,000 students take physical education classes and more than 1,000 play team sports – often outdoors in neighborhoods with high levels of air pollution. In 2012, Marilyn Crumpton, supervisor of school nurses in the Cincinnati Public Schools, estimated that 4,000 of these students suffered from asthma. While Cincinnati Public Schools has taken a number of steps to address the needs of students with asthma, including the implementation of an indoor air quality team, distributing asthma-awareness publications, creating student health centers and sending staff to sports medicine workshops, the partnering agencies agreed that this workshop will be a great benefit to the physical education community.

“Childhood asthma is a leading health-related reason students miss school in Cincinnati, so it’s critical for any teacher to understand how to help control it,” said CET Director of Educational Technology and Grants Gary Greenberg.

The workshop will be held at Schroder High School and the cost is $10 per person. There will be refreshments, giveaways and a free smart phone raffle. To register, call 513-575-5847. The bulk of the workshop cost is covered by a grant from the Health Foundation of Greater Cincinnati and the Cambridge Charitable Foundation.

This workshop is part of CET’s ongoing effort to provide professional development opportunities to teachers, educators, support staff and caregivers throughout the Greater Cincinnati region on everything from incorporating nature into the curriculum to implementing mobile technologies and games in the classroom. Those interested in asthma-related education who aren’t physical educators or coaches are welcome to participate in other American Lung Association-sponsored workshops by calling 513-985-3990.

To learn more about CET’s technology, health and early learning workshops – or for information on the station’s other educational efforts including multimedia curriculum kits, STEM efforts and instructional television, visit www.CETconnect.org/education.

About CET: CET is Greater Cincinnati’s leading provider of education and enrichment in both living rooms and classrooms, reaching more than 2 million residents; 470,000 students and 37,000 teachers. Through PBS and local programming, CETconnect.org, innovative multimedia curriculum projects, parent workshops and professional development for teachers, CET positively impacts our community with rich and diverse resources. CET was the first licensed educational television station in the nation, the first high-definition public station in Ohio, and, through CETconnect.org, the first public television station to offer a community-based public media on-demand service. For more information about CET, CET Arts or CET Create, visit www.CETconnect.org.
CET serves viewers and residents in the following counties: Adams, Brown , Butler, Clermont, Clinton, Darke, Fayette, Greene, Hamilton, Highland, Miami, Montgomery, Preble, Springfield and Warren in Ohio; Dearborn, Decatur, Fayette, Franklin, Jefferson, Jennings, Ohio, Ripley, Rush, Switzerland, Union and Wayne in Indiana; Boone, Bracken, Campbell, Carroll, Gallatin, Grant, Harrison, Henry, Kenton, Owen, Mason, Pendleton, Robertson, Scott and Trimble in Kentucky.